Jobseekers Allowance

[Zingari]

I have unfortunately had to claim JSA since October and it's the most soul destroying, depressing thing ever. I am applying for literally hundreds of jobs as I do NOT want to be on this or live this way. In the time I have been on JSA, I have been offered only 2 interviews, neither of which I have been offered. I have applied for Customer Service work as well of which i have vast experience in and still no luck. I am struggling just to buy food each week for myself.

I find some people can be very mocking of people on JSA and are like "oh get a f*****g job, it's easy"...oh really? Do people honestly believe I want to be on this? I want to be able to afford to go out, put food on the table, buy clothes, go on holiday etc.

I have sympathy for any legitimate people on JSA who are working their butts off trying to get a job and better themselves, because if they are finding it as tough as I am at the moment, then I feel for you, I really do.

Best of luck to you too Mikey .

It really is sad that someone with your talent in photography etc is struggling to find some work .

Edit;

Best of luck to everyone stuck on JSA , Hope the new year brings a change in your fortune !

[purpleronnie]

And just goes to show that people on benefits aren't living some cushy life.

Good luck to you all.

[Bayfox]

I have unfortunately had to claim JSA since October and it's the most soul destroying, depressing thing ever. I am applying for literally hundreds of jobs as I do NOT want to be on this or live this way. In the time I have been on JSA, I have been offered only 2 interviews, neither of which I have been offered. I have applied for Customer Service work as well of which i have vast experience in and still no luck. I am struggling just to buy food each week for myself.

I find some people can be very mocking of people on JSA and are like "oh get a f*****g job, it's easy"...oh really? Do people honestly believe I want to be on this? I want to be able to afford to go out, put food on the table, buy clothes, go on holiday etc.

I have sympathy for any legitimate people on JSA who are working their butts off trying to get a job and better themselves, because if they are finding it as tough as I am at the moment, then I feel for you, I really do.

Mate if you're into photography so much have you thought of investing in a website. Get a mate to design it and get a cheap host. Then upload images and offer them for sale in digital form to start. Then maybe set up to sell them on canvas etc.

I could do you a deal on the printing of you dont mind grafting on putting them together. Posting out etc.

[The Year Of The Fox]

Its horrendous. The job centre staff regard you as scum.

those 4months were easily the lowest point in my life. I hope snd pray ill never be in that situation again. Heart gows out to everyone in this situation

[m00nie]

been on it for 2 and a half years, Not through choice as I can't stand it. I send out on average 60-70 cv's and applications off a month and 9/10 do not even get a reply. My wife and I both claim and we can barely get by sometimes we have to go 2-3 days without eating or if we do it is very little like toast etc. Thankfully our neighbour lets us use her internet so we can go for jobs online and my dad brought me a season ticket for a birthday present so I am lucky in some respects. But being on JSA is soul destroying and they don't help you at all at the job centre. To them you're just a statistic and they treat you as such.

If your sending off that many cvs and not even getting replies you should really take a look at your cv..

Dont use a generic one for everything, change things to suit the jobs applied for.

[RonnieTodger]

In a word: shit.

[fox123]

Up until last year I used to be an Employment Advisor for a company called Intraining. I dealt with two groups, one was Community Task Force (19-24 year olds) the other was Flexible New Deal (FND).

I haven't dealt with the new Work Program that replaced FND but believe that those referred on the WP have to be on it for two years.

There are jobs out there but depends if you are willing to take anything. There's a lot of care work, might not be everyones cup of tea, but at the end of the day a jobs a job. If you are desperate to get away from signing on, then you will do what ever it takes. I think people's perceptions of carers are having to clean shitty bums etc, but there are many a different care roles available and it can be very rewarding. Try looking on the nhs jobs website where they advertise Health Care Assistant positions jobs.nhs.uk.

Sending out speculative letters to potential employers is another way to showcase what skills you have. There might not be positions within that company, but if you don't try you never know. It's an employers market these days and they can afford to be choosey, you just need to sell your self and follow up in a month or so time.

Following any interview you may of had, I always feel it's a nice touch to send an e-mail to the person that you have had the interview with thanking them for their time and again highlighting why you are the candidate for them - remember it's little things that gets you noticed ahead of your competition.

If I can be of any more help, let me know.

[Rincewind]

I have applied for care assistant jobs. First one I got a letter within a couple of days. Unfortunately I had trouble filling it out. I had misread the ad and they wanted someone fluent in Punjabi and asking how many years nursing I had. I called them up explaing I thought it was just helping as in volunteering. The woman was very good. She said there are no-qualified roles but not ATM.

Another one promised a two week training course but The start date was the week after I got the go ahead from my job advisor (intraing) and I never had a reply of the recruiters which I sent asking for start details and venue for the course.

I did an assessment at the AEC for a course for the same thing starting in January but need a letter confirming my JSA for a free course.

TBH I'm not too sure about it seeing as I can take pension credits next July and have a chance of a part time job within the media volunteering role that I am doing.

The adviser that I have calls me up every fortnight or so asks if theres been any change, when I say no he says OK call you in two weeks. I don't think he has much hope for me getting a job before July. At least he's not sending me on day long training to learn how to write a letter.

[Itsthejoeker]

Anyone else noticed that the Advisors give little or no effort into finding you work, but are extremely quick to take away benefit?

[Charl91]

This year I came within a week of applying for benefits. Worked part time at a restaurant (was an awful job) and earned on average £300 a month. My rent/bills + council tax came to about £300 a month, so anything else that I spent meant I was making a loss.

I did everything in my power to avoid claiming anything, but I got my overdraft down to - £950 out of £1000, and was just about to finally give in, when I got offered a job for a 3D printing company at 8.50 an hour. Jumped at the chance and quit my job at the pub as soon as I could! Only contracted till march so far, but earned about £1000 this month and will earn a minimum of £500 a month for the next three months, so can't complain.

Least then I'll hopefully just have a few months more to survive untill I get onto this PGCE course.

[foxfanazer]

It's quite simply hell to be honest. I've been in a temp job since August and it due to end next month and I'm dreading it! Just hope this place gets more work in and keep me on. Fingers crossed

[RobHawk]

Does anyone know much about this universal credit?. Surely those on jsa would be better off.

IR JSA, Housing Benefit, Tax Credits, IR-ESA and Income support will be merged into one benefit. The whole point of this is to save money and its likely that alot people will be worse off.

Council Tax Benefit is being abolished and being localised -although i believe this money is not ring fenced so realistically councils could use this money towards anything!

DLA is also changing to Personal Independent Payments or PIP, again they will look at tightening the criteria and saving money so many people will again lose out.

So when will all this change? Well unless you are in the Northwest of England it will start being introduced from October 2013 for sole JSA applicants. After that its likely to be April 2014-October 2014 when all new claimants are moved over to the new Universal Credit and by 2017 all existing claimers will be transferred over to it.

[RobHawk]

The one thing i'd say in relation to young JSA claimants - Is don't be too picky! I worked as a cleaner for a year before getting into the job i'm in now! From getting into this job i've been able to climb the ladder and am now earning double what i was when i started and i've done that in around 4 years. I never would have got the job if it hadn't have been for the cleaning job though. Its so much easier to employ someone whose already working as you know they are used to and committed to coming to work every day.

As a young person with little or no experience this isn't the case and makes you a much riskier proposition. Back in my younger days i did alot of shit jobs in factories, 12 hr night shifts the works. Being a job seeker is really tough, but if you are picky you have lost before you have even started!

[Finnegan]

Exactly what Rob said. I spent ages looking for only customer service work before I realised I was shooting myself in the foot. Look carefully at job adverts and consider what skills you can "blag" to a certain extent.

If there are no specific qualifications and experience is either non-essential or only "preferred" then apply, apply, apply! You've got nothing to lose be it cleaning windows, typing and photocopying or flipping burgers.

[indierich06]

I was on it for about 6 months too, biggest motivator I ever had to sort my life out. I absolutely hated every second of it and I was miserable. Chin up to those who are on it though; if you keep plugging away and applying for jobs and you'll get something eventually, I managed to get a job working behind the bar at my local, stayed there for 12 months while I applied for other stuff, now I'm working down in London doing a job I love. Never thought I'd be where I am now when I was trudging to the job centre every other week.

[foxfanazer]

I was on it for about 6 months too, biggest motivator I ever had to sort my life out. I absolutely hated every second of it and I was miserable. Chin up to those who are on it though; if you keep plugging away and applying for jobs and you'll get something eventually, I managed to get a job working behind the bar at my local, stayed there for 12 months while I applied for other stuff, now I'm working down in London doing a job I love. Never thought I'd be where I am now when I was trudging to the job centre every other week.

good on ya mate

[purpleronnie]

I was on it for about 6 months too, biggest motivator I ever had to sort my life out. I absolutely hated every second of it and I was miserable. Chin up to those who are on it though; if you keep plugging away and applying for jobs and you'll get something eventually, I managed to get a job working behind the bar at my local, stayed there for 12 months while I applied for other stuff, now I'm working down in London doing a job I love. Never thought I'd be where I am now when I was trudging to the job centre every other week.

funny how things work out isn't it, well done.

[glenny_fox]

I don't think you will ever come accross a person that will say 'those advisors at the job center really helped me out!!'

It has got to be the least helpful place on earth, I was on JSA for about a year and I think if you went purely on the advice ofthe so called experts, then you would never get a job.

[indierich06]

good on ya mate

funny how things work out isn't it, well done.

Cheers lads, took a lot of hard work and perseverence, but it was worth it in the end!

[Jace]

Unfortunately if we all waited for a job that we wanted to do then most of the Country would be unemployed

[The People's Hero]

GET A JOB!

[FoxLAD]

The one thing i'd say in relation to young JSA claimants - Is don't be too picky! I worked as a cleaner for a year before getting into the job i'm in now! From getting into this job i've been able to climb the ladder and am now earning double what i was when i started and i've done that in around 4 years. I never would have got the job if it hadn't have been for the cleaning job though. Its so much easier to employ someone whose already working as you know they are used to and committed to coming to work every day.

As a young person with little or no experience this isn't the case and makes you a much riskier proposition. Back in my younger days i did alot of shit jobs in factories, 12 hr night shifts the works. Being a job seeker is really tough, but if you are picky you have lost before you have even started!

This!

My last job i was picked over more qualified people, even more experienced but just because i was in a job and they wasn't i got the job!

[pSinatra]

GET A JOB!

[Rincewind]

IR JSA, Housing Benefit, Tax Credits, IR-ESA and Income support will be merged into one benefit. The whole point of this is to save money and its likely that alot people will be worse off.

Council Tax Benefit is being abolished and being localised -although i believe this money is not ring fenced so realistically councils could use this money towards anything!

DLA is also changing to Personal Independent Payments or PIP, again they will look at tightening the criteria and saving money so many people will again lose out.

So when will all this change? Well unless you are in the Northwest of England it will start being introduced from October 2013 for sole JSA applicants. After that its likely to be April 2014-October 2014 when all new claimants are moved over to the new Universal Credit and by 2017 all existing claimers will be transferred over to it.

I had some idea but not the full details. I may just escape. 61 now so by 2017 I'll be properly retired or pushing up daisy's.

If I take pension credits in July I don't think I'll be affected too much. I believe the council are looking at other ways of claiming. My CT is paid by DD so the correct amount will come out. As far as I know my Housing Association has not brought the DD in but if that is not affected I'll be OK. I'm just worried as to how close my overdraft limit I will be. come July. It will be close.

I have cut down on as much as I can without going without essentials. Got a couple of Months without water rates coming up so that will help and I think my TV license has a break.. Hoping it's a mild winter but if it's really cold I've found out I can claim winter fuel payment (£10 WOW) it all helps however little. There are always free dinners that some places do for the less well off.

[CupidStunt]

We had had a few at our place who are now in work, that have described the jobs seekers as an utter joke

However, its a different story for me, I cant employ anyone at the moment not for the want of trying, or should i say cant get the right applicant, i even had someone turn the job down FFS who was out of work, and the salary is fantastic.

(I am looking for a teamleader)